Hutton uses head to earn Rangers top A grade

With a team well short of full strength, Rangers still had more than enough to see off Partizan Belgrade to finish top of Group A and guarantee that they will have a favourable place in the top seeds in today's draw for the knockout stage of the competition.

The goal which settled the issue came from the unlikely figure of Alan Hutton when the right-back met a Nacho Novo free-kick with a fine header after 54 minutes, although a couple of late scares threatened to take the gloss off a good finish to a productive group campaign.

Manager Paul Le Guen's priorities were clearly signalled by his team selection. With an eye on Sunday's visit of Celtic for the second Old Firm derby of the season, five regulars – Derek Adam, Jeremy Clement, Barry Ferguson, Dado Prso and Libor Sionko – were absent from the starting line-up.

Given the number of Rangers changes, plus the fact that Le Guen's players required only a draw to finish top of the group while Partizan could not qualify, much of the first half had all the atmosphere of a training session. Still, Rangers had their chances to put the top spot beyond dispute before the break.

Gavin Rae came closest with an effort that was something of a miscue – it came off his studs – but which nevertheless skipped off the base of the far post. Filip Sebo was next up to the plate when he took a lob on his chest to volley against Nikolas Asperogenis and then drive the rebound back off the goalkeeper.

As the interval approached Thomas Buffel – who had earlier swirled a free-kick on to the roof of the net – sent Novo scampering clear into the box, but once again the finish was too direct and Asperogenis was able to block.

The home support in the crowd of 45,129 appeared largely content with the proceedings, but as the teams left the field at half-time there were calls for Le Guen to reinforce his side for the second half. This he chose not to do and his faith in the players on show was rewarded within nine minutes when Rangers won a free-kick inside the Partizan half.

Novo swung the ball in from the right and Hutton rose to place a looping header sweetly over the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net.

Once ahead, Rangers were never in danger of losing, but they might have been pegged back for a draw when late carelessness allowed Milan Smiljanic and Nenad Marinkovic clear chances which both players squandered.